Day: March 15, 2023

Efforts to salvage the body of an eleven-year-old boy who drowned in the Sigor dam while swimming with a group of other children have faced challenges arising from harsh weather conditions and the swampy nature of the dam. Speaking to Kenya News Agency, Bomet County Director of Disaster Management Mr. Stanley Mutai confirmed that a multi-agency team from the county, Red Cross, and local divers have been camping at the scene for the past four days since the incident was reported. Mutai said that the dam is almost five acres with what he termed as frustrating weather conditions that have made it hard to carry out the rescue operation effectively. ‘Different stakeholders have pulled together resources in this operation. For the last four days our divers have tried their best to retrieve the body of this young boy but in vain. The weather is frustrating us, we have been experiencing rain as early as before noon,’ explained Mutai. ‘The nature of the dam has also been another issue, it’s porous and covered with a swampy vegetation that is twenty centimeters thick. We have been forced to clear the scene, we don’t want to endanger our divers.’ Mutai noted that this is the hardest and riskiest rescue operation he has ever encountered at his helm as the County director of disaster. Reports indicate that the victim was diving with a group of six other children in the dam when the unfortunate incident happened on Sunday. They rushed and reported that one of them has failed to re-emerge from the other side of the dam, and rescue operations commenced immediately. Sigor residents have urged local authorities to condone off the dam from the public to avoid more cases of losing lives in the area.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Plans are underway to start this years’ national tree planting exercise in earnest as the country gears towards marking the International Day for Forests (IDF) next week. The tree planting exercise is expected to coincide with the start of long rains with some parts of the western Kenya region having started to receive some rainfall. The Meteorological department has confirmed that the outlook for March 2023 indicates that a few areas over Lake Victoria Basin and extreme northwestern parts of the country are likely to experience near average rainfall but most are likely to experience below average rainfall. The tree planting restoration exercise is part of the Government plans to plant 15 billion trees across the country by 2032 as directed by President William Ruto. The Western Kenya, Kenya Forestry Service (KFS) Conservator Mrs. Rose Akombo told KNA that the tree planting exercise in the region will commence next week, March 21 as the country marks the International Forest Day. ‘The IDF will be launched in all the 47 counties and the National exercise will be held in Homabay County’ she said. ‘In Kakamega, the launch will be at Iloro Kakamega forest station, with similar exercises concurrently taking place in Busia, Bungoma and Vihiga’ she added. ‘This years’ IDF theme is forests and health. Forests give us so much to our health. They purify the water, clean the air, and capture carbon to fight climate change, provide food and life-saving medicines and improve our well-being,’ she said. And in an effort to streamline the tree planting restoration exercise, the Western Regional Commissioner (RC) Samson Macharia has directed all regional heads to prepare tree growing Action Plans to spearhead planting of five million (5,000,000) trees in the region. These plans, he says, will help harmonize all existing plans and identify possible areas of coordination to avoid duplication of roles during planting seasons. KFS is now using a new technique, the adopt-a-forest strategy where stakeholders are allowed to invest in the restoration of forest ecosystems.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Residents of Skuma village in Ngaremara, Isiolo County have benefited from a borehole project by Merti Integrated Development Programme (MID_P) in partnership with the County Government. The project which was funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (OXFAM) will benefit over 200 households in the area that have been grappling with acute water shortage. The Community Water Project Manager Robert Ngakutan said the borehole will rid local women and girls of the struggle of travelling long distances in search of water for domestic and livestock use. ‘We are happy that we have a watering point for our livestock within the village and we will now have enough time to search for pasture and salvage the emaciated ones,’ he said. The project has an elevated storage tank with a capacity of 50 cubic metres alongside three water kiosks and is surrounded by an electric fence to keep wildlife away. While commissioning the project, Deputy Governor Dr James Lowasa said the County Government will offer technical assistance to the beneficiaries. ‘Use the monthly levies to handle minor repairs in the event of a breakage,’ he said. MID_P Program manager Mr Ibrahim Kabelo said besides the Ngaremara borehole, they had also implemented similar projects in Kinna, Rapsu, and Barambate. Mr Kabelo challenged local residents to start kitchen gardens at their homes to deal with hunger that has been occasioned by the ongoing drought. ‘We are also carrying out a cash transfer program targeting 667 hunger-stricken families in Modogashe and Badana areas which will run for a duration of six months,’ Mr Kabelo added. OXFAM Project Coordinator in the County Margret Msundi said that they have also donated jericans, bar soaps and water storage tanks to 95 households in the area. ‘We are keen on assisting residents on hygiene issues by training community health volunteers on sanitation,’ Ms Msundi added. National Drought Management Authority Coordinator in Isiolo county Omar Abdi urged the resident to take advantage of the borehole water to plant trees in order to attract enough rainfall and maintain water sources in the area. ‘It’s our responsibility to plant drought resistant trees in the area to make our environment clean and attract rainfall,’ he added.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Over 10,000 residents from Kikumini/Muvau Ward in Makueni Sub-County are set to benefit from the desilting of the Ndukuma earth dam which is being rehabilitated by the County Government of Makueni at a cost of Sh50 million. Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior said the 700,000 cubic meter capacity water dam will serve 10 villages in the area and Wote Township after the completion at the end of the month after commissioning the dam on Wednesday. Ten villages that are set to benefit include Kaseve, Nthembe, Mandoi, Miteveni, Wendo, Munyuni, Nzaai, Kiatine and Mumbuni in Makueni Sub-County. The Governor said they have embarked on Phase II where they will construct a water treatment plant and a water storage tank that will enable residents to use the water for both domestic and irrigation purposes. He said the move will boost food security at the County level as small scale farmers will utilize the water to irrigate their land thus enhance food production and avoid dependence on relief food. ‘This is the solution to food insecurity, the County governments have the capacity to do these projects at a lower cost compared to the national government,’ he said. Speaking at the same function, the Water and Sanitation County Executive Committee Member Engineer John Kasyoki Kieti said that the scope of work entailed removal of accumulated silt and reinforcing the dam wall with compacted clay to reduce seepage. Kieti also disclosed that the dam will have check dams to control the siltation besides constructing a fence and planting trees around the 58-acre land.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM), has urged Kenyans to maintain calm and unity as the Government continues to implement key projects and policies that will bring down the cost of living and uplift the lives of Kenyans. Addressing the press in Mombasa, SUPKEM Chairperson, Muhdhar Hitamy, said the country is facing a myriad of challenges that have been occasioned by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, fluctuating global economic dynamics that have stifled growth the world over and the unpredictable weather patterns prompted by Climate Change. Hitamy noted that the situation in the country is a cross-sectional problem that cannot be blamed on institutional failure but rather on factors that have affected the globe in general from prolonged drought to war in the key and strategic partner states. The clerics also called on Kenyans to demonstrate restraint as the Holy month of Ramadhan approaches. They called on Kenyans from all walks of life to unite and pray for the country reeling from the prolonged drought. ‘As the Holy Month of Ramadhan is about to begin, we urge all Kenyans to observe patience and strive to be helpful to each other in moments of difficulty. Extend olive branches to each other and be your brother’s keeper,’ said Hitamy. He added that leaders should tone down on utterances that spur controversy and instigate retrogressive agenda that might be destructive and pull the gains made by the Government back instead of propelling development forward. ‘We urge leaders regardless of the political divide to form the building block that will promote national unity and rally Kenyans in Nation building,’ added Hitamy. SUPKEM Secretary General, Khalfan Ali, echoed Hitamy’s sentiments, calling on all Kenyans to join hands and support the endeavors the government is making, to ensure their lives are better. Ali further urged the government to step up efforts of bringing the cost of basic commodities relatively down especially with the Holy Month of Ramadhan fast approaching. He added that this will help millions of Kenyans, especially the Muslim community observing fast, afford basic needs that will go a long way to feed their families and sustain their livelihood. ‘We call on the government to keep on with the trajectory it has taken in trying to ease the lives of Kenyans and it is our hope during the Holy Month things will shape up for the better,’ said Ali.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Over 5,000 victims of the Loldaiga fire in Laikipia County believed to have been started off by British army training in the area two years ago have edged closer to getting compensated after the court granted rules of procedure that shall govern the Inter-Governmental Liaison Committee (IGLC). Nanyuki Environment and Lands court judge Antonina Bor on Wednesday granted the rules on that would govern the directions that the IGLC would follow in determining the compensation claims. Through their lawyer Kelvin Kubai, the victims welcomed the move but still lamented the process for seeking for justice has been slow that has also seen close to 70 community members die as they wait for compensation following the March 2021 fire that destroyed the entire ecosystem of their area. The victims claimed that the fire left them with myriad ailments as a result of inhaling fumes from burning chemicals from the inferno that took weeks to contain. ‘We welcome the move by the court as this signal a positive move on the case, but we are still skeptical given the torturous nature of this case and given the lack of precedence in such a manner the claimants may not be really able to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt,’ Kubai said. The victims’ lawyer added that they hoped that the procedures have the understanding of the nature of the case and the provisions of the constitution of Kenya especially on environmental issues. The Lolldaiga community has been embroiled in a court case for nearly two years with the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (Batuk) over a fire sparked during military training exercises that destroyed more than 10,000 acres of vegetation at the Lolldaiga conservancy in March 2021. The community and environmental lobby group African Centre for Corrective and Preventive Action sued Batuk, claiming the fire emitted smoke that contained dangerous chemicals and explosives and caused adverse health effects like serious eyesight problems and miscarriages in humans and livestock. ‘Article 42 provides that someone does not need to prove harm where an environmental violation has been committed against him or her,’ the lawyer said. Kubai observed that delays from the British army in participating in the collection of claim forms had seen the drag in courts for nearly two years. ‘They (British army) even conducted an environmental Impact Assessment in our absence on the area and we were forced to conduct our own for the same for the purposes of strengthening our case,’ Kubai said. The matter will be mentioned in two weeks’ time on the 28th of this month. Lawyer Lawrence Ondieki is representing Batuk in the matter.

Source: Kenya News Agency

People with disabilities (PWDs) in Kiambu County have a reason to smile after the National Fund for The Disabled of Kenya (NFDK), donated tools of trade worth Sh5 million to 400 PWDs. Nine Sub-Counties which include Limuru, Kikuyu, Lari, Githunguri, Kiambaa, Kiambu, Riuru, Gatungu and Thika are set to benefit from the donations. Speaking during the donation exercise at Limuru Sub-County, Limuru Deputy County Commissioner Mr Stanley Mutua said the government initiative is aimed at empowering PWDs economically through start-ups and micro enterprises to enhance self-reliance. ‘About 15 physically challenged people have already benefited from the donations and we expected more to show up because the target is 400 PWDs all around the County,’ he said. According to NFDK Programs Officer in charge Tabitha Mihari, the tools of trade will give the physically challenged the ability to engage in socio-economic empowerment activities like anyone else without limitations. ‘The tools of trade that we have donated today include sewing machines, saloon kits, welding machines, masonry kits, water pumps and also farm tools like wheelbarrows, spades and pangas which will help uplift their living standards’ said Mihari. She further encouraged more people living with disabilities to turn up and not to shy away when called upon to receive the donations which are enough for all of them. Mihari also cautioned the beneficiaries against selling or misusing the equipment as this would undermine the objective of the government of uplifting PWDs living standards. ‘The equipment you have received today is your lifeline, take good care of them and use them to initiate income generating activities,’ she said. Joseph Ndua, a beneficiary of the programme, expressed his gratitude to the government for the donations. ‘I am a farmer. I plant cabbages and kales and it has been such a struggle to carry my produce to the market. Now that I have a wheelbarrow, it’s going to be much easier,’ he said. Last year, NFDK reported that the government has increased its funds for annual donations to persons living with disabilities from Sh14 million to Sh350 million.

Source: Kenya News Agency